Into the Serpent's Eye
by DracosDarkness
Summary: A new exchange student arrives at Hogwarts, and Harry's world goes topsy turvy, a common sign of love. But when things start going wrong, will Harry make it out alive?(CoMpLeTeD)
1. Introduction to Lauren

Harry sat awake in his bed, pondering his arrival at King's Cross Station. After Moody, Tonks, Lupin, and the Weasley's had left, the Dursleys seemed all the more nervous around him. Dudley would no longer go into his room, Harry thought this odd, but he may be afraid of who was going to turn up in his room next. But all he seemed to have on his mind lately was what Luna said the night of the big feast...  
  
"'Oh, come on. You heard them, just behind the veil'  
  
'You mean...' He had replied.  
  
'In that room with the Archway. They were just lurking out of sight, that's all. You heard them.' "   
  
And even though Luna may have believed the craziest things known to man, Harry had believed her, for he was positive he had heard voices from behind the veil as well. Could it be true? Could the Ministry be talking to the dead? And if so, could Harry? This was too much for him; the thoughts were slurred around in his head for awhile before he could make any sense of it.  
  
He had been writing to Ron and Hermione every other day now, so as not to arouse suspicion that the Dursleys were treating him unfairly. If anything, the Dursleys barely let it be made known he was alive. But that, in Harry's mind, was an improvement. But still, Harry still wondered if this was because they were afraid of who or what was going to turn up at their door next...  
  
But as Ron and Hermione weren't allowed to tell him the goings on around the Black Residence (He quickly shut the name out of his mind), Harry was quite....BORED. He was waiting till that faithful day when the Weasleys would appear at his door step, followed by an oddly put invitation to the Order's Residence as he now put it.   
  
And even more oddly, a knock was soon heard on the front door, followed by three voices that Harry could never forget. Tonks, Moody, and Lupin were here to pick him up! Just in time for his birthday, this in fact would be tomorrow. Even though it might not have been the Weasleys picking him up, he was still pleased, for this would mean he would get to spend some time with his friends.   
  
Harry gathered his things with the help of Tonks, as Moody and Lupin were explaining something to his Uncle and Aunt. Dudley could be heard shaking under his bed, wondering when the "intruders" would leave... As they were about to leave on broomstick, Harry looked toward the setting sun, just wondering what was ahead...  
  
They left at the stroke of midnight, and they had expected to arrive at the number 12 Grimmauld Place at exactly sun-rise. He had A LOT of time to think about what had happened on the trip. The words of Dumbledore soon appeared in his head....  
  
"...and neither can live while the other survives..."  
  
iSo in the end, one of us will have to go,/i Harry thought to himself... iLove, as Professor Dumbledore said, may have protected me while I was a child...what now? How am I, a nearly 16 year-old boy, going to defeat Lord Voldemort, one who has taken over the entirety of England? Hope. Isn't that what we're all supposed to have?/i At this point, hope seemed to be the last grain of sand left in his hour glass...Harry could envision his 'hour glass of life' tipping over and smashing into a thousand pieces at the hands of Voldemort...  
  
They soon arrived at Grimmauld place, and as they entered the shabby house, Harry was in no mood for anything...But as hope has it, things change, and evidently, Harry's mood seemed to...  
  
*  
  
Harry entered the house slowly and softly so as not to disturb the sleeping portraits. As no one was awake, he headed upstairs lugging his stuff quietly. He entered the room and threw himself onto the bed; he drifted off to sleep soon after...  
  
He awoke to the usual sounds of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, laughter and loud talking. He suddenly remembered his Godfather, and the shattered two way mirror which he could have come in handy if he hadn't been so dense. He put that into the back out his mind for now.  
  
Having been picked up from the Dursleys' meant both more time with his friends, and actually getting to celebrate his birthday with them. For Harry, the presents didn't seem to matter, it was more that he got to share (what used to be) just any other boring day with his friends... Trust is what Harry had in his friends most, and at that, he was never to going to give up!  
  
As Harry quickly got dressed and came down stairs, the sweet smell of breakfast filled the air.  
  
The kitchen was filled with voices, "Happy Birthday Harry!"   
  
As he entered the packed kitchen welcomes, hugs from both Mrs. Weasley and Hermione, and plain and simple hellos were exchanged. Also, presents were exchanged; many thank-yous were said as Harry finally sat down.   
  
"Hey Harry!" Ron greeted Harry warmly.   
  
"I hope they didn't treat you TOO badly this year..." Ron said grinning.   
  
"We have a whole bunch of new people! This is the Mc Dervish family they've come quite a long way. But this..." Ron pointed out a man, woman and girl about Harry's age in the corner. He continued on, "This is the Jones family. They moved here from Canada."   
  
Ron, grinning turned to Harry, i"Though I've got no idea where that is... Better ask Hermione!" /i Ron mouthed.  
  
The young girl from the Jones family stood up.   
  
"Hi! My name is Lauren Jones," She said nicely. She had dark brown hair, and dressed like an average American, tight jeans, and a black and red sweater.  
  
  
  
"Hullo, I'm Harry Potter," Harry replied.  
  
Harry thought it over, and she seemed pretty nice (And cute, although Harry tried to keep that voice at the back of his head). Harry had breakfast, and the, now, four of them, headed upstairs so the adults could have a quiet word.   
  
  
  
As they headed for the stairwell, Harry saw Fred, George (Who, by the way, had taken time out of their busy schedule, to come and visit. Business was apparently, booming.), and Ginny each holding an extendable ear. "See what we can do this year, eh Harry?" George smirked.  
  
They closed the door behind them as they entered Ron's room. As messy as it was, they all (some how) found a place to sit.  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you Lauren, how was school back in Canada?" Hermione asked.  
  
Ron glared at Harry, good old Hermione.   
  
"From what you've told me about Hogwarts," Lauren started "My old school seems ALOT tougher. For one thing, Arithmancy was mandatory, and boy, that was SURE fun..." Lauren said sarcastically. She continued on, "But we had no dances, no Triwizard Tournaments, come to think of it, the school was pretty boring," Lauren explained.  
  
"Speaking of boring," Hermione then turned to Ron.   
  
"I was SUPPOSED to go see Viktor in Bulgaria this summer if SOMEONE," She glared at Ron, "hadn't BEGGED me to come over here," she said as she sighed.  
  
Ron snorted.  
  
"What?" She exclaimed.   
  
"I just wanted to-" Hermione was abruptly by Ron.   
  
"You just wanted to see Vicky?" Ron said quite mockingly.  
  
Hermione glared at him. Lauren was absent mindedly staring at Hermione trying to figure out how long they could go on fighting, but was surprised when they stopped.   
  
Hermione turned away from Ron.  
  
"In August we'll go to Diagon Alley Lauren, it's huge, and packed with loads of Wizards and Witches." Hermione explained to Lauren.  
  
"So anyway, Harry, how was YOUR summer?" 


	2. Diagon Alley

Later in the day, all of the inhabitants of the house came into the kitchen and around the table for dinner.  
  
"Ron, I've been meaning to ask you, what ever happened to Kreacher?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley gave him a dark look.   
  
"It's a house-elf's duty to keep within the family as long as the family is living." She stopped, and glared at the Black tapestry. "When a Black dies, Kreacher searches for the next closest, living relative, this time, it so happens to be Narcissia, and Lucius Malfoy." Mrs. Weasley looked solemnly at Harry.  
  
Harry stopped to look around the table. Mr. Weasley had cringed at the name. Ron on the other hand, was gritting his teeth and began mumbling strange curse words under his breath.  
  
Harry headed to bed, knowing that he would finally be safe. Thoughts flashed through his head as he drifted off to sleep...the vision of Cho crying...Sirius dying...and Voldemort rising from the dead...would these visions forever haunt his memory? Would it be simpler to die? His thoughts tumbled in his mind, as morning soon came to pass...  
  
  
  
The next few weeks were spent getting to know Lauren. She was a Canadian, she came from a province called Ontario, and lived in a big city called Toronto. She told them of the many things she longed for, her old friends (And Harry found out she was still single), her dog, and her nice apartment. Harry had a small liking for her; at this point, it was at a friend basis. But, Harry, Ron, and Hermione noticed she was a little more...mischievous, than them, in more of a Slytherin way. As a precaution, they identified Malfoy, and his goons, and taught her to stay away from Slytherin.  
  
Near the end of August, the troop was ready to go to Diagon Alley. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and even Lauren had gotten their letters. Unfortunately, for Mrs. Weasley, neither Ron nor Hermione had gotten a Head position. They shrugged it off; it didn't seem to matter anymore, as long as Draco didn't get the honours.  
  
The headed off to Diagon Alley, Lauren needed new robes, so Hermione went with her as Ron and Harry took a look around the wizard shops. They met back at Flourish & Blotts to get their books. As the sun started to set, they headed back to find the rest of the Weasleys, but before they could do so, an unpleasant serpent stopped them.   
  
"Oh look, it's Harry Potter" Malfoy smirked, "And his friends..." He added grimly.  
  
  
  
His eyes focused upon Lauren.   
  
"Who's this?" The sun seemed to focus on his shimmering almost white hair, nothing like her own, but it had caught her attention.  
  
"Her name is Lauren. So spread some joy in her newly found life here in London, and LEAVE!"  
  
Draco turned abruptly and gave Lauren a small smile as he slunk back into the shadows...  
  
As they headed back to the Order's Residence Lauren wondered why Malfoy was so...evil. She of course had been told all of his wrong doings, but they didn't matter right now. Slytherin; this was the house she was told to stay away from, why? Malfoy was in this house, why could she be? Curiosity may have gotten the cat, Lauren told herself after a while, but it won't get to me.  
  
So as the sun set on the horizon ahead Lauren though of all that had happened and all that was to come. Knowing people who cared for her were going to be there helped, yet curiosity sprung from her mind at the thought of Draco. It was not only Harry whom was feeling confused at heart, Lauren fell into that category as well. 


	3. The Meeting with a Serpent

Harry got along really well with Lauren, yet he felt that she was somewhat distant from her... As though, he didn't like the idea of them being distant... Was this Cho all over again? But Harry felt in his somewhat empty heart, that Lauren wasn't that type. Lauren was very adventurous, yet rebellious (her clothes seemed to show that right away, it was a mix of American and Punk), more rebellious than a Gryffindor is what Harry was afraid of. He wouldn't be able to stand seeing her in Draco's house, ANY house other than that would be ok...  
  
As the days passed on, Harry was anxious to get to Hogwarts, away from the muggle world, back with all of his Gryffindor house-mates. And Harry had noticed that Hermione and Ron got along quite well too... Ron had a funny way of showing his interest, but they hadn't been fighting as often. But Harry said nothing so as not to jinx it.  
  
Finally, the day came for the departure to Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters.   
  
Lauren felt quite nervous, were they going to accept her? Would they make fun of her because of her accent? Would she do well in her classes? Most of her questions were answered on the train, Harry and the others had found an empty car. Lauren was introduced to a lot of new people yet managed to slink out of their car unseen. Too many questions... Lauren thought as she entered the small and narrow hallway. And there, she bumped into the one, the only, Draco Malfoy.  
  
"You again..." His eyes darted between her and the hallway.  
  
"Yes, I met you in Diagon Alley; you're...Draco...right?" Lauren hesitated as his eyes met hers.  
  
"Yeah, Draco Malfoy pleased to meet you" he shook her hand, and gave her a small smile.   
  
"You don't sound like much of a Londoner though, where are you from?" he asked.  
  
"I was born in Canada, although my parents are both from London. We moved here about a month ago..." she replied.  
  
"Well, since you're new, I'll excuse you from hanging out with the mudblood and them... come into my car..." he invited her in with a swish of his hand.  
  
Lauren walked in carefully, as Draco shoved his large goons out.  
  
"What is Canada like?" he asked right off the bat.  
  
"Well, most people think that it's cold all year round, but it's pretty nice. It's very woody though..." she trailed off at the thought of Lake Ontario, as it shimmered as she left Canada. As she left Canada...her friends...for possibly forever....what a depressing thought, she thought to herself.  
  
"You must miss it...I can see it in your eyes..." Draco said hesitantly so as not to offend her.  
  
"Yeah, I do." she answered solemnly.  
  
Lauren snuggled up beside her. Draco didn't seem to mind, it was actually what he was hoping would happen.   
  
"So...what are you like? And why do you hate Hermione and Harry so much?" She asked out of curiosity.  
  
Draco glared at her.  
  
"It started in about the first year, I was trying to get Harry into the 'right' crowd, yet he spat it in my face. Weasley didn't help either, always throwing insults at me because of my father. Now that my father's in jail, it should be interesting trying to get him to stop..." Draco glared at Lauren.  
  
"Oh..." She trailed off not knowing what to say to that.  
  
Lauren soon felt Draco's arm drape itself around and onto her shoulder. [i]He is sly...[/i] she thought to herself. She had no intention of moving it though, she was quite comfortable at where it was.  
  
After a while of chatting, Lauren looked at her watch.  
  
"Oh my, Hermione and them will be wondering where I had gotten to, I'd better go!" Lauren pecked Draco on the cheek and left the car. 


	4. At Hogwarts

Lauren quietly slipped into the chatty car.   
  
"Where have you been all this time? Well, never mind, we're nearly at Hogwarts, so you should get changed and stuff." Hermione said plainly, although curiosity still lingered in her tone.  
  
Lauren got dressed quickly, and afterwards, continued to chat with Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Ron still eyed her suspiciously, as if he had known where she had been.  
  
"So, how exactly does this sorting process work?" Lauren asked curiously.  
  
"Well, it's quite simple. They place the sorting hat on your head in front of the school, and it sorts through your thoughts for a bit. After that, it tells you which house you belong in." Harry said smartly.  
  
Lauren hesitated to say anything...The sorting hat sorts through your ithoughts/i? What if it found out? Would it spread it through the school? Would it tell Dumbledore? iOnly time will tell,/i Lauren thought as she quickly shoved that thought to the back of her head.  
  
A few minutes later, the train arrived at its destination, Hogwarts. Lauren was whisked away by Professor McGonagall as Harry, Hermione, and Ron were lead up to the castle, so the feast could begin.  
  
"Good Evening," Dumbledore said, loud enough to be heard by all.  
  
"Welcome to all those in Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and those yet to be sorted." He diverted their attention to the long line that had formed of first year students.  
  
Harry looked at the first year's line to see that Lauren was not there. He sighed wondering where she was. Did he really care that much? Becoming depressed at the thought of her not being here? iWow,/i Harry thought to himself, he had really fallen hard.   
  
Harry couldn't remember the last time the sorting had gone by so quickly, it seemed almost unimaginably quick. iMaybe,/i Harry thought iit was because I was thinking about Lauren all that time/i. But he quickly shook that thought out of his head.  
  
And as Dumbledore raised his glass in a salute, the food soon appeared on the tables, and the students began to eat. The usual gossip of who's gone out with whom had been diverted to Ron and Hermione; apparently, they were getting quite a bit of publicity.  
  
Angelina Johnson turned to Harry.  
  
"Do you think Ron has the guts to...you know..", she said mysteriously.  
  
"What?!" Harry said loudly.  
  
The Gryffindors looked at him oddly, and the Hufflepuffs followed suit.  
  
"Hush!" She said, "I'm surprised that you don't know. It's said that Ron and Hermione are...well...you know...a pair!" She said proudly.  
  
But as dinner soon finished, and the rumours subsided, the Gryffindors were left to bask in the glory that is Gryffindor Tower. They were soon shooed out of the Great Hall, and they began the long walk up to their common rooms.  
  
Harry walked through the wide hallways of Hogwarts as if it were an old friend he hadn't seen in years.  
  
He heard a familiar voice call, Lauren.  
  
Harry turned around and waited for the rushing brunette, as she hurried up the hallway to meet up with him.   
  
"Hi Lauren, how'd the sorting hat treat you?" Harry replied.  
  
"Well, I got sorted into Gryffindor!" She said in between pants.  
  
"Guess I'll be seeing a lot more of you now," Harry said, with a bit of glee in his tone.  
  
"I guess so," she answered as they both walked into the common room 


	5. RON!

"RON?!" Harry exclaimed loudly as he entered the noisy common room. Harry had seen, right before his eyes, Ron and Hermione, SNOGGING!  
  
"Well, isn't this a surprise," Lauren said, as Hermione blushed.  
  
"Well...you...know..." Hermione began, but she never seemed to finish.  
  
  
  
"Well," Harry said, "nice coupling guys, but could it had been at any worse a timing?" Harry chuckled.  
  
The group continued on to bed, ignoring the loud partying that emitted from the common room.  
  
The next morning, Lauren slept in, not realizing her need to get up early. Hermione woke her up instead.  
  
"Come on sleepy-head! Classes start today!" Hermione said cheerfully.  
  
"Do I have to?" Lauren groaned. But she got out of bed quickly, and effortlessly.  
  
After getting dressed, Lauren and Hermione met up with Harry and Ron downstairs, and they all left for the Great Hall (after, of course, Hermione gave Ron a peck on the cheek. By now, Harry was starting to feel left out).  
  
They reached the Great Hall, as the loud chatter and gossip began. They all got their schedules and sighed.  
  
"First transfiguration class and it's with the Slytherins, I'm honestly starting to lose hope!" Ron said dramatically.  
  
"Oh well..." Lauren said smiling, a bit of excitement lingered in her tone.  
  
"What are you smiling about?" Ron remarked.  
  
"Oh! Nothing..." Lauren said.  
  
They entered the class and Lauren gaped, her mouth wide open.  
  
"These classrooms are amazing! They're so rustic!" Lauren commented.  
  
"Well, they have been around for over 100 years!" Hermione scoffed.  
  
Lauren glared at her, feeling hurt.   
  
"Today," McGonagall started, "we'll start a very complex transfiguration spell. I'll need you all to put yourself into partners."  
  
Hermione motioned for Lauren to be partners with her; Lauren refused, still hurt, and took a seat beside Draco instead. Ron gasped, so did Harry, Hermione seemed too hurt to care though. Ron partnered with Harry, as Hermione (fully capable), worked on her own.  
  
The class went on, as Lauren and Draco laughed at the pathetic attempts Ron made at the spell. Lauren and Draco on the other hand, had no trouble turning the chair into a dog, and even got it to do tricks (which got them bonus marks). Hermione wasn't in her positively best working mood. The sight of Lauren with the man she hated most (other than Voldemort) made her sick to her stomach.  
  
The class ended as Slytherin left Gryffindor. Lauren kissed Draco goodbye in the hallway, not just a peck, this one lasted for a few minutes, leaving Draco hanging at the end.  
  
"Well, some ones made a wh-(Hermione gasped, "RON!") of themselves." Ron continued almost triumphantly.  
  
Hermione seemed to glare at the two of them. They started to walk, Lauren far ahead of them.  
  
"I honestly would have never known...Lauren? Maybe she should have been in Slytherin..." She said a small trace of fear in her tone.  
  
"Well, there must be some reason she wasn't in Slytherin...the Sorting Hat doesn't put people in houses for no reason...right?" Harry answered solemnly.  
  
They walked down the wide hallway, Lauren long gone. As they headed to Potions, Harry had a strange pang of fear, erupting from his scar. He took it as nothing. It had been happening for a while now. Although, somewhere, deep down, he thought it may have meant something...yet, for now, he didn't know what. 


	6. The Darker Side

That day ended as most did...surprisingly quiet. Fred and George still weren't pleased about having to go to school. Their partying remained for quidditch victories. It seemed like there was never a shortage of Homework though. Becoming an Auror wasn't easy, especially since Harry had to bring up his potions marks.  
  
Hermione and Ron could be spotted smooching in the library every so often. Harry, again, was feeling left out, and hurt by that day's events. That day was so long ago, yet he could still remember the reaction he gave when he found out about Lauren and Draco.  
  
Depressed, was the only way he could describe his feelings. Why? Well, for one, the girl of his dreams was in love with a Slytherin whom happened to be his worst enemy. Plus, his two best friends were never separate...from each other that is. And for the finishing touch, his Godfather, his (technically) only living relative, had died at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's supporters.  
  
"Harry?" A voice came out of no where. Harry tried to look around, but saw no one; he disregarded it until it repeated itself.  
  
"Harry, are you alright? I saw you rush up here after dinner..." The voice said again.  
  
Harry looked around again, it was Lauren.   
  
"Look, Harry, I'm really sorry about that day, I really didn't mean to make you feel bad..." she said.   
  
Harry saw a tear roll down her cheek. He glanced down at her bare, bruised arms, then at her once bleeding nose. Was this caused by the one she thought she loved?  
  
"What happened?" He asked.  
  
Lauren's lip quivered, more tears followed. But one name was emitted from her lips.  
  
"Draco", she said.  
  
She fell into his arms, sobbing. Harry comforted her best he could, holding her, stroking her back, but not saying a word. As a couple minutes passed, the sobbing subsided.  
  
"Why did that bag of scum do this to you?" Harry said, quite calm though.  
  
"He wanted me to...you know..." She sniffled. "But when I said that was going too far, he attacked me. He said I was unworthy of dating him, and he didn't stop. I ran...well...back to the common room...and when I saw no one was here except you, I well..." She stopped and looked up at Harry.  
  
Harry was speechless. Here he was, thinking she was a Slytherin loving, Draco follower, and in fact, she had just been abused by the one she thought she loved.  
  
"Harry," she said as she kissed his cheek. "Thank you, I know I can always count on you, you're such a great friend. Maybe one day, we can be more than just friends though....maybe one day..." she teased.  
  
To make up for Harry lack of words, Lauren snuggled against his chest, and eventually, fell asleep in his arms. 


	7. Romance

Ron trudged up the stairs, Hermione following.  
  
"What did I do this time?" She exclaimed.  
  
"Nothing... that's the problem" Ron mumbled.  
  
The reached the portrait and uttered the password, and quietly slipped in. It was already 10:30, so it was likely those who had had a bit much butterbeer had already fallen asleep.   
  
"HARRY?" Ron exclaimed.   
  
Hermione gasped at the perfect picture that was Lauren in Harry's arms, sleeping, as Harry lay down in one of the comfy common room chairs.  
  
"Why doesn't that ever happen to us?" Ron asked loudly.  
  
"Well...I dunno..." Hermione said hesitantly.  
  
"This is your problem Hermione, you're just not....ROMANTIC!" He yelled.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't myself say that you were a Cupid either..." Hermione protested.  
  
They continued bickering as they found their way to their four poster beds.  
  
"What was that?" Lauren said, as she awoke.  
  
"Another Hermione and Ron feud, don't worry about it, they'll kiss and make amends by tomorrow… literally." Harry said sarcastically.  
  
Lauren giggled as she kissed him on the cheek and headed to her dorm.   
  
"Goodnight Harry," she said.  
  
"G'night Lauren," Harry said sleepily.  
  
Harry yawned as he heaved himself into his bed, too tired to care about tomorrow's troubles.  
  
  
  
  
  
He awoke the next morning to find that in fact, Hermione and Ron had made up, and that the Great Hall was filled with more talk than usual.  
  
"They say they haven't heard of any Voldemort activity since this summer, the Ministry's starting to lose hope in ever finding him." Harry overheard Neville say.  
  
The Hufflepuffs stared at him as if he had something to do with it.   
  
i"The boy who lived? I wish he hadn't...."  
  
p"Why did he have to come to Hogwarts? He's only making more trouble for the Ministry..."/i  
  
Depression was Harry's main feeling, until of course Lauren bounced up behind him.  
  
"Hey Harry! How are you?" She asked cheerfully.  
  
"Oh, I'm alright thanks, how are you?" He replied.  
  
"I'm good! Christmas is right around the corner though! And I haven't done any shopping! Next Hogsmade trip is next Saturday! I have soooooooo much to do!" She said.  
  
"Yeah, me too," he said as they walked up to get some breakfast.  
  
  
  
After breakfast they headed outside onto the Hogwarts' grounds, today was a Saturday, a day of rest...and snowball fights!  
  
It all started when Ron pegged Harry in the head, which lead to Harry trying to get him back, and pegging Hermione instead. It was quite refreshing, even if you had gotten snow down your shirt because you hit your girlfriend, as Ron soon found out.  
  
They headed inside, soaking wet I might add. They headed up to the Gryffindor Tower to dry off and change into some new clothes.   
  
When they were all changed, Lauren came out looking like a regular American teenager. Her hair was straight and silky sleek. She was wearing a red sweater with snowflakes on it, and a pair of extremely tight sandblasted jeans. Harry nearly gaped at the outfit, but decided to keep that to himself.  
  
Harry looked at Ron's expression, he was totally gapping. It was quite the Kodak moment.  
  
"RON!" Hermione said fiercely. 


	8. Mistletoe

Weeks came and went, and eventually it was Christmas. Snow blew outside, although the bitter cold was nothing compared to Snape's homework assignments, as Harry put it. Hermione was going home to visit her family, and Ron was also going back to the Order's Residence. Ron tried to convince Harry to come, but persistent as Ron was, Harry was staying. That of course, was because Lauren was staying, and he couldn't stand the thought of Draco somehow winning her back.  
  
Only a small amount of the extremely large school stayed at Hogwarts that year, so few, that they ended up eating all at one table during meals (Harry and Draco would keep their distances of course, and Lauren would stay by Harry).  
  
During the Christmas season, little bunches of mistletoe were bewitched (by Dumbledore no doubt) to fly around the school and stop in between unsuspecting students. Harry prayed that someone unfortunate wouldn't happen to be caught beside him. Neville already had to kiss Millicent Bulstrode, and immediately afterwards, went to go wash his mouth out with soap.  
  
But, as always, life hurts, and in this case, Harry found out the hard way...the REALLY hard way!  
  
It was lunch, on Christmas Eve (no surprise there), but as worse comes to worse, who happened to be sitting beside Harry? Pansy Parkinson. Harry didn't notice it at first, but as her laughter is quite atrocious to the ear (and her looks are quite atrocious to most peoples' eyes [lol]), he noticed her right away. The mistletoe were around their side of the table, Harry looked around... This was going to be interesting. Harry tried to make a jolt to the door, but it backfired, the mistletoe were ready for that kind of escape route, Harry cursed Dumbledore under his breath... It (the mistletoe) placed itself right over and in-between Pansy and Harry... Both had disgusted looks on their face. As they leaned in for the kiss, gasps were here from around the table, and snickering from some Slytherins. As they kissed, one thing was going through Harry's mind, "I hope Lauren makes up for this later...".As the kiss subsided, he immediately finished his lunch, and returned to Gryffindor tower...to wash his mouth out...with a bit of help from Lauren...*wink**wink*  
  
And that was Harry's worst experience with Mistletoe (or was it?)!  
  
(A/N: Sorry 'bout that folks, I couldn't resist! Now, back to your regularly scheduled chapter.[lol])  
  
After lunch, Harry decided to head down to Hagrid's Hut. He figured he hadn't been there in a while, and he hadn't been taking Care of Magical Creatures, so he hadn't seen him altogether. Lauren headed along with him as they crept by the dark gates of the Forbidden Forest.  
  
"What is that place?" She asked.  
  
"Oh, you wouldn't want to go in there, trust me! It's very dark, gloomy, and all together scary. There are centaurs, and some other stuff too...But even I haven't gone that far into it", Harry answered.  
  
"You've been in there? Wow, you must be really brave... But then again YOU are Harry Potter, and have faced The Dark Lord..." She paused for a moment to think. She continued, "four times!"  
  
Had it really been that many times? He thought to himself. He counted on his fingers.  
  
"Technically five times, but the first time, I didn't really face off against him." He replied.  
  
They soon reached the small shabby looking hut. Harry could hear Fang clawing away at the door, but not as he usually did, it was almost like he really wanted to escape. The howling that emitted from the hut was deafening.  
  
"Hagrid?" Harry called.  
  
He repeated himself, "HAGRID?!"  
  
  
  
Harry let himself in, only to see that everything lay scattered and in disarray. His bed wasn't made (which was unusual for Hagrid) his tea kettle lay on the floor, dented, and Fang looked like he hadn't been fed in days. But in all this messy madness, Hagrid was no where to be seen. No note, no evidence, nothing, not even a pang of blood. Had the ministry sacked him? Even then, Dumbledore would have fought for his innocence. This is my entire fault, I haven't seen him since last year, and then, this happens. If only I had kept in touch with him...  
  
As Harry turned to leave, he noticed Lauren was keeping her distance from Fang, as he barked loudly at her, almost snarling.   
  
"FANG!" He swatted the dog on the nose, "sorry about that Lauren, he's usually pretty calm, and usually doesn't make a peep." He said, as the dog calmed down.  
  
They fed Fang and left, heading back into the castle, looking for answers. 


	9. Looking for Lauren

There were only a few sixth year students whom had actually decided to take Care of Magical Creatures that year. So instead, Harry asked a random third year Hufflepuff.  
  
"Err...excuse me, but did Hagrid teach his last Care of Magical Creatures class?" Harry asked, knowing it sounded dumb.  
  
"Yeah, it was about hippogriffs..." The third year student hurried off, after, of course, looking at Harry strangely.  
  
Ha! Hippogriffs, that was probably the best taught lesson that year, but not exactly for Hagrid...Harry sighed, remembering good times. Draco was such a goon, faking that injury, what could he be up to this year? Was he up to anything? He father iwas/i sentenced to jail, even though he was still awaiting trial...  
  
"Well", Lauren said, interrupting his point of thought, "he must have disappeared after his last class. Strange really..."  
  
Harry looked at his watch, "Wow, it's almost dinner, we better be heading off!"  
  
And with that, they curtly hurried to the Great Hall.  
  
When they got there, it seemed no one had noticed the disappearance of Hagrid, although some of the teachers looked quite worried. As they finished their pudding, Dumbledore bid them goodnight, as tomorrow was Christmas. But, with no surprise, asked for a word with Harry. Lauren headed up to her dorm, without him.  
  
"Harry", Dumbledore wearily started. "It has come to our attention, that Hagrid has not been seen on school grounds for more than forty eight hours. It is beginning to worry us my dear boy. Do you know anything of this?"  
  
A chill ran up and down Harry's spine, where could he be? He shook his head, and Dumbledore let him go on his way.  
  
So it wasn't just him who had noticed Hagrid's disappearance. The more he thought about it, the more the worry. Now he could understand Mrs. Weasley's worry when Harry was in the Triwizard Tournament; not seeing the person, and thinking that they may never come back.  
  
He reached the portrait hole and uttered the password as he climbed in.  
  
"Harry!" It was Lauren.  
  
"Hey", he replied.  
  
"Ok, I just couldn't wait for tomorrow, so...here!" She handed him a large box, covered in snitch patterned wrapping paper.  
  
"Wait a second", he rushed over to his trunk and pulled out an icy blue snowflake wrapped package. "This is for you!"  
  
They both simultaneously ripped open their presents.  
  
"Whoa! Personalized firecrackers! Thanks Lauren!!!!" Harry said affectionately.  
  
"Ya, they spell out, Draco Malfoy, the Greatness Himself, and then flash NOT! I couldn't think of a better saying!" She paused, taking another look at her present. She held it up to the light; the light blue crystal pendant shimmered even in the dim light of the common room. A medium sized crystal snitch was on the silver chain. "Harry...it's beautiful." She said as Harry helped her put it on.  
  
  
  
The next day had been a blur, but not in the same way. Harry had awoken to find that Lauren wasn't there, nor was she at breakfast. She hadn't even been outside during the biggest snowball fight in Hogwarts' history.   
  
Later at dinner, nothing was seen of her...now Harry was beginning to worry, so he went to McGonagall.  
  
"Err....Professor?"  
  
"Yes Potter?" She replied.  
  
"I know this may sound quite strange...but..." He hesitated, not wanting to sound strange.  
  
"Yes Potter, we've alerted the Ministry of Ms. Jones's disappearance. I suggest you don't go parading around the grounds or outside them for that matter, looking for her. Potter...please...just don't, you don't know the whole story." She said, her eyes showed fear, but it didn't seem to be related to Lauren's disappearance.  
  
"Do you know anything of it? Who it was? Anything?" Harry was starting to feel desperate.  
  
"Potter, this doesn't concern you, and trust me, you don't want it to. Just head off to bed please, all we can tell you is that we're working our hardest to try and find out where she is."  
  
"Alright professor..." Harry shrugged, slowly and solemnly headed up to his dorm and flopped onto his bed.  
  
That's when he noticed it, glistening in the dim fiery glowing room...the necklace! He held it up to the fire's warm light, but felt the familiar tugging feeling beyond his naval... 


	10. Evil, Dark, and Sinister

Draco stomped up the large stairway to the Gryffindor Common Room, and uttered the password. The Fat Lady swiftly let him in.  
  
I guess it's time... Draco thought to himself as he picked up the glimmering necklace.  
  
  
  
*  
  
Harry fell onto the hard cement floor, not knowing where he was, or why he was transported here. He checked himself for injuries, and decided to explore, looking for Lauren. He called her name many times in the old forsaken factory, almost desperately.  
  
The darkened room of the haunted looking warehouse seemed to mock him, the chipped chairs and tables seemed to warn him of what was to come. It reminded him of the graveyard which Voldemort had transported Harry and Cedric to at the Triwizard Tournament...right before Cedric had been killed. That night still haunted Harry's memories, as well as the crowd of people whom were weeping when he arrived back. Harry's memories always seemed to be flooded with pain...more so sometimes, than happiness...  
  
He heard a whoosh behind him and turned to look, there was Draco.  
  
"Where's Lauren, you snivelling cowardly ferret boy?" Harry said angrily.  
  
"How would I know? I've been trying to look for YOU. McGonagall sent me up to your common room to check you were still here...at Hogwarts I mean. Then I found the necklace and...well... landed up here." He said innocently.  
  
"So the necklace was a port-key....who would've done this? Ok, wait, dumb question. But who would have made it a port-key? Lauren must have been transported here!" Harry said conclusively.  
  
"Don't bet your hopes on it Potter, you know the Dark Lord almost better than my father did, he wouldn't have left her waiting here for long." Draco said, sighing.  
  
"Oh, but would he?" And evil voice cackled sinisterly; Voldemort.  
  
"Where is she?" Harry shouted.  
  
"Ha! Like I'd tell you, maybe you'd like to ask Draco...or maybe, Lauren herself..." He suggested.  
  
Before Harry could answer, there stood Lauren cloaked in black, a smirk upon her face. Her cloak was almost floating on the wind's soft breeze, her eyes shining evilly.  
  
"Miss me Potter?" She blew him a kiss sinisterly.  
  
"What's going on Lauren?" Harry asked confused.  
  
"Haven't figured it out yet Potter, have you? It's not really a surprise, not even that hag McGonagall, or even the old fool himself Dumbledore has figured out my plan..." She cackled. Her eyes shimmered from under her hooded cloak.  
  
Harry looked at her, confused. A plan, with Voldemort?  
  
He watched as Draco went up to Lauren, and put his arm around her waist.   
  
"What-?" Harry said.  
  
"Oh, then let me explain," she said mockingly, "let's start at the very beginning. The Jones family was in the Order, oh, and don't think we don't know all about your little order." She said looking at the expression on Harry's face.  
  
"Our ancestors decided to move to North America, and while we were there we had a...little...change of heart. So, by the time we came to London, we were all in favour of the Dark Lord, willing to do his bidding. So when he asked for a little favour, we of course, agreed being the great actors we are, (me especially) we fooled you all, even the almighty, Dumbledore." She said sarcastically.   
  
"We devised an ingenious plan, and you've fallen right into it, such a hero Potter. Draco knew ever since..." she pecked him on the cheek.  
  
"Oh, and that big lard ball of a teacher, that was my doing. He witnessed me going into the Forbidden Forest; I could risk him saying anything, so I transported him here as well. Oh, don't worry," she said to Harry's expression, "we've been feeding him, and we've trained him to keep that large jaw of his SHUT! But you can see him later..." She cackled.  
  
Harry looked around, his heart heavy, his mind trying to process all this. Was there a way out? What had they done to Hagrid? So what she was telling him was that all this time, those warm embraces, those touching moments, had all been a plot to kill him? They had all been an act?  
  
Draco pulled out his wand unexpectedly.   
  
"I've wanted to do this for the longest time. CRUCIO!" He hollered.  
  
Searing pain erupted through Harry's entire body as he tried to fight it.   
  
"A little rusty eh Potter?" Draco sneered.  
  
Harry came to his senses, he noticed Lauren's robes were of green and silver...traitor, Harry thought.  
  
"Enough of this, now...it's my turn", said the evil bodiless voice.  
  
Voldemort appeared wand in hand.  
  
"I couldn't kill you before Potter, but now, you've nothing I haven't... always the hero eh Potter? Well, you'll soon be sorry you ever survived." 


	11. A Dark almost Ending

Voldemort paced around Harry, surveying him. His eyes flickered in the dim light.   
  
"Well Potter, you've certainly grown from the last I've seen you. Yet your heroic behaviour hasn't changed at all, now has it?" He snickered evilly.  
  
"Come on Potter, face me, I'd rather lose to you fairly. Mind you, that's only so I can prove to you that I can defeat you without cheating... unless of course you object to this."  
  
Harry shook his head. The last thing he needed was all of Voldemort's cronies after him as well.  
  
"Well then, let's begin."  
  
Voldemort put himself in position, as Harry followed suit. What am I going to do? He thought to himself. I'm doomed...unless... He now had a plan.  
  
A smirk appeared on Harry Potter's face, Voldemort was just itching to remove it, painfully. He remembered what had happened the last time they had fought, but now, there was a way around it. You see, the wands only did that when they were to fight against each other. So maybe Voldemort wasn't going to keep to his promise of good sportsmanship, but it was all worthwhile in the end.  
  
Potter would soon be dead.  
  
A Death-Eater was to count them down, "Three, Two, One, and BEGIN".  
  
The voice that rung out next was about to surprise Harry.  
  
"CRUCIO!" Voldemort wailed.  
  
A surging pain went through Harry's entire body, his wand dropped helplessly to the floor; he tried to fight it off. As he did, he picked up his wand as Voldemort laughed cruelly.  
  
Weren't expecting that were you Potter? Did you have something else in mind?" Voldemort snickered.  
  
"Well, yes actually, did!" Harry said to the still snickering face that was Voldemort.   
  
"ACCIO HAGRID!" Harry yelled triumphantly.  
  
A cage flew from the other side of the warehouse, as the giant being inside realized what was going on. Cursing and loud noises came from the barred walls, right before the cage itself, split in two.  
  
"WHAT IN THE BLOODY-? Harry?" He looked at the smile on Harry's face, and knew what he was to do.   
  
"VOLDEMORT, YOU FOUL FILTHY LIT'LE- WELL, THIS IS TOO MUCH PAL," Hagrid raised his fists and ran straight for Voldemort.   
  
The veins in Hagrid's neck nearly burst; his anger was overwhelming, almost giant-like.  
  
"YOU'VE HURT HARRY FOR THE LAST TIME!" He yelled.  
  
Voldemort tried to stop him with a body bind, yet the spell just seemed to bounce off of him. Must be the giant blood in him, Harry thought. Hagrid's large hands were now constricting Voldemort's small neck, as his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.  
  
It was now, that Harry noticed he was wand less. Searching for the culprit, he found Draco behind him, Harry's wand being fiddled between his fingers, as he and Lauren admired each other. He rushed over to get it back, just as Hagrid was forced to let go of Voldemort.  
  
"AVADA KADAVRA!" Voldemort gasped, now that he was free.  
  
Pulling Lauren in front of him, Harry blocked the attempted murder, by murdering someone else! Don't let your conscience get you down now, get your wand and get out of here, a small voice inside told him.  
  
Harry quickly got his wand from the floor where Draco had dropped it. Draco, Hagrid, and Harry all raced for the necklace, and as they were transported back, Harry wondered why Draco hadn't killed him yet. 


	12. The Depressing End? Or is it?

Draco glared at Harry as they arrived in the Gryffindor common room. Unable to say anything, he only thought quietly to himself. Why couldn't it have been me? I no longer have anything to live for...but soon, neither will Potter. He followed Harry as they made their way quickly, to Dumbledore's office.  
  
  
  
Harry tried a few passwords, but the second he tried "Acid Pops" the pathway opened. Dumbledore was sitting in his office chair, stroking Fawkes.  
  
"What are you all doing here at this hour? And Hagrid, where have you been?" Dumbledore asked curiously.  
  
Harry, and Hagrid explained what happened as Draco wallowed in darkness at the far corner. There voices rung out in the large office, unable to hold back their emoticons.  
  
"Do you have anything else to add my lad?" He asked Draco.  
  
Draco shook his head, thankful that he hadn't gotten into any sort of trouble. Yet at the same time, was angry that Lauren had gotten no recognition as being intelligent, or loving. The only thing they had to say was that she was sinister and wicked, and they were thankful she was dead. Draco was becoming suicidal, plots of how to kill himself rang through his head. He became weak at the thought of seeing Lauren die like that, he felt sick to his stomach. Stupid Potter, he thought enviously.  
  
As Harry and Hagrid finished with the last of Dumbledore's questions, he let them on their way.   
  
"We had suspected this for most of the year, but when we found nothing, and no one to blame, we said nothing. It is very unfortunate that this occurence happened at Hogwarts so suddenly, but maybe next time Voldemort will think twice. IF he ever returns." Dumbledore said as they left his office.  
  
  
  
Second term faded to third and soon, the year was at a close. Draco had kept to himself all the year round; even Pansy was beginning to worry.  
  
Harry on the other hand, had been as happy as ever. Without Lauren pulling at his heartstrings, he was free to be himself. Starting anew with Ginny, his love life never seemed to fail him. They were the most popular and one of the cutest couples at Hogwarts. Many Gryffindors were jealous at the sight of them, but rejoiced at Harry's new found happiness.  
  
As the year came to an end, the train was there to pick them up. During the dull trip home, Draco stared out the window, watching the world go by him in a second. The sweet smell of her silky hair, her piercing eyes, how they saw right through him, and her amazing mind. All describing Lauren, all of which was gone, never to be seen again. Somehow, Draco hoped there really was a God and a Heaven, somewhere she could be happy.  
  
Draco remembered Dumbledore's grave words as he explained that more was to come. Voldemort had been badly hurt after the struggle with Hagrid, and Dumbledore was hoping he'd give up while he was behind, even thought that was a very miniscule chance. His thoughts focused again on Lauren, the memory of watching her die, without being able to do anything. He felt so helpless, so miserable without her.  
  
Depression ruled over Draco during the summer, an emoticon never worth knowing.   
  
It was a dark but moonlit night, all was quiet in London, and Draco intended to keep it as quiet as he could.  
  
Draco snuck up the dark driveway of Twelve Privet Drive, ready to go through with it. As he snuck through the (now) unbarred windows, he slid something shiny out of his pocket.   
  
There Draco Malfoy was, standing over the bed of Harry Potter, knife shining in the still moonlight of a dark night. 


	13. ThankYous

I would like to thank everyone whom supported me in my school, and I would like to announce the sequel is coming up soon!  
  
Special Thanks to:  
  
Sarah,  
  
Christina,  
  
Sonya,  
  
And Caitlind.  
  
Not to mention JK Rowling for thinking up an ingenius idea for a book!!!  
  
Seeya SOON!=) 


End file.
